The test is what works in your hands the best....and I own and shoot a lot of S&W revolvers in .357 mag because I like them a lot ..

A K frame S&W - in a 4" - like a model 19 or 66 ...of which I have four ...are easy guns to run tactical drills with ...( double taps, or triple taps out of a holster with 158gr Montana Gold JHP's) and I have no problem executing those double or triple taps, even in a K frame, out of a holster, in under 4 sec ( and I'm not lightning quick ) and keeping them center mass at least out to 30 Feet.....now if I switch to an N frame..model 27 in a 4" - the gun is a little heavier ...I can shave that time to under 3 sec consistently and still keep all shots center mass.

Follow up shots with a K frame or an N frame....are just not that difficult if the gun fits your hands. I'm over 60 yrs old as well....but the .357 mag is a caliber I like / and I practice with it quite a bit - even though 1911's are my primary defense guns / a S&W model 66 4" is a solid nightstand gun for me.

If I go to a shorter barrel ..like a 2 1/2" in a model 66 (K Frame ) I can make my 4 sec time ...but beyond 21 Feet....my groups tend to get a little ragged...because of the shorter sight plane probably / but also because the weight of the gun becomes a bigger factor ...with the lighter gun jumping around a little too much to suit me....which to me, makes the K frame 4" a much better defensive or tactical weapon.....

Go to a range and rent some revolvers.....shoot them from the low ready ...and evaluate your competency level with each model ...and evaluate what you like for triggers, barrel length, how much they jump around..your confidence level with each platform. Push yourself for a time standard - that fits your skill and safety level...and see what works best for you / knowing that when you have your own gun -you'll hopefully practice with it weekly ..and get better hopefully.

As is widely recognized getting a revolver a .357 magnum is nice for the variety of ammunition to use.

Perhaps this needs to be another thread. I'm still thinking .357 Magnum ammunition is just (dare I say it?) "overkill" for SD against thin hide dangerous humans.

My SD guns are 9mm and .45 mm semi-automatics and I "play" with a revolver, the Python, but mostly use 38 Special and try 357 Magnum. I still am not good enough with a DA trigger on "quick reaction" shooting and not good with 357 magnum loads. In a SD situation I would do better with the 9mm for accurate placement in quick reaction. Obviously this will vary with the skill of the shooter. But I suspect the larger number of people bearing guns for self defense are also not ready for Magnum loads.

I was concerned about the OP mentioning getting a 357 Magnum gun and thinking (without evidence) he or she is a novice and expecting to load 357 magnums and be ready for self defense. It did not seem wise.

"The sound of a .357 going off is really tremendously loud, even when wearing ear protection. Setting off a .357 indoors without ear protection would most certainly do damage to ones hearing which could be permanent.

First of all in the heat of an engagement, the average person does not hear the report of the weapon, all senses are tuned to eliminating the threat. I would much rather suffer a hearing loss than to be beat or shot by the bad guy.

It was my second after I started with a Ruger SA 10.5" 44 mag! It was a 640 357 mag!

That was seriously the way I did things, but maybe not the best way.

IMO, the people suggesting something like a S&W 13 or 65 3" are heading you the right way. These could be a person's main CCW and never be a bad choice. Especially loaded with 38 Spcl Gold Dots and then 357 Gold Dot's when you get the hang of them. I'm leaning toward the S&W K frame group because they have:
- Most have excellent triggers out of the box
- There are so many grip choices that you have to be able to find good CCW grips! If not, a custom grip maker can surely fit them to you right!
- 3" is a std barrel length. To me, that is short enough to CCW, but long enough to shoot fast.
- Holster choice - Every holster company, almost, makes leather/kydex for this gun.

If you really want a snubbie, I would go to a concealed hammer model in SS. The scandium Smiths are a handful!

Personally, I'm not sure why the LCR appeals to some people. I just looked at their website and liked the 3" Talo GP100!

I understand the sentiment that a .357 mag revolver may be a little bit of an "overkill" for a defensive weapon...but if the OP wants a revolver as a defensive weapon ...at least a gun chambered in .357 mag gives him the option of shooting .38 spl or .357 mag..../ about the only other widely available choice in a revolver would be a gun chambered in .38 spl ....so why not have a gun that will shoot both calibers.

....but in the case of a gun like a K frame S&W revolver, in my view, its also a gun that a shooter can grow into ...and develop their expertise...by shooting it with .38 spl ...and some .357 mag ...and get some time with the gun....

...and in general, I think a K ( or an L or N frame S&W --- or a Colt Python if he wants to go there ) in a .357 mag is probably a gun that he or she will keep long term....where the LCR stikes me as a short term choice...

BigJimP - Yes I agree. I'm coming from semi auto looking for new challenges in DA trigger. I forgot to consider what's available in revolvers so certainly a first revolver 357 magnum is a great choice. I also forgot that this Python 357 is my first (since a .22 four decades ago).

I'm enjoying my 357 and the Python was not my choice but it was available. The 6 in. that it is I do find somewhat front heavy for my arm strength and I have coming in a barely used 586-3, 4 in. The challenge of mastering 357 is fun. And I wonder if I didn't have a challenge, shooting would not be so engaging.

If you don't mind fixed sights, the Aussie trade-in S&W Model 10s from Bud's Gun Shop seem to be nice. A friend and I each got one; he got a Model 10-10, I got a 10-11. Both shoot pretty much to point-of-aim with generic .38 Special loads. Some are cosmetically rougher than others, it looked as though the cop who had carried his had never cleaned it, while the one I got had been sort of cared for.

?Neither one of us expected much for a sub-$300 gun. We've been pleasantly surprised.

when you've been in this hobby as long as I have - give or take 50+ yrs...it'll be easier to evaluate what you like best / what fits your hands the best...and be able to evaluate your best options for Defense / or just range fun.

Like you - I spend a lot of range time with semi-autos as well ( primarily 1911's ) ...where the gun I shoot the most - is a well made 1911, a 5" gun, all stainless in 9mm...and I will put 5 or 6 boxes a week thru that gun ..../ its great practice for my primary carry gun which is a 5" 1911 in .45 acp - but S&W revolvers were some of the first guns I loved when I was just a kid ...and shot them a lot in those days --- and I still like them as a "nightstand" gun or a "desk gun" ..and some range days when I just want to shoot some of my revolvers...I might take a S&W model 19 4" , a model 27 4" and maybe my Freedom Arms single action 4 3/4" all in .357 mag ...just for the heck of it. I have big hands / and am big enough at 6'5" and 290 lbs that shooting my reloads ( all 158 gr bullets in .357 mag ) is not that big a deal in a good steel gun ...

...but everybody's different...some of my buddies think its nuts.../ waste of range time...some of my buddies will only shoot the same gun they carry ...that's all they want to do / nothing else makes sense to them. I want to be competent ...in the one in a gazillion chance something bad happens and I need a gun ...but mostly, I shoot as a hobby !

To me, it would be way to boring to just shoot one kind of gun all the time...but my collection has common denominators ...several 1911's 4" and
5" guns in 9mm, .40S&W and .45 acp ..../ several Sig Sauers...226's and 239's in 9mm or .40 S&W .../ about 18 S&W revolvers...mod 19's, 27's, 28's, 66's, 686's in .357 mag ....and mod 29's, 629's in .44 mag ...and some in .22 ( 617 and mod 18's )...and one single action revolver from Freedom Arms that is my new favorite toy in .357 mag ...( its new, so only 6 months old ) and I like shooting it a lot....

But there is just no -- one answer for any of this stuff - when someone asks with semi-auto should I get, which revolver, which caliber...or whatever...its different for all of us.../ just like, while I really like the looks of a Colt Python, I don't own one ...because in rapid fire - the grips on the colt let the gun get away from me.../ and not to be critical but in DA, I just prefer the S&W trigger ...and the grips on the S&W just fit me better ( and S&W revolvers - even the model 27 - which I think is comparable in quality to the Python - is at least several hundred dollars cheaper these days !

Like the OP maybe, BigJimP, I remember browsing for picking my first gun (aside from what my deceased father left behind) and I thought that I will just get one and be the master of it. Well that idea didn't last long! I started with a self defense motive now I'm really more driven to excel in my own small way at markmanship. But this came rather late in my life to do well. My first 1911 sits unused. And now I do not find my other 1911's fun. Revolvers are very appealing and a challenge.

But back to the OP. just get something. I'm sure its just the beginning of a journey of changes.

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